Washington Park's Upside Down Halloween Parade Is Back Today — and It's the 7th Year Running
By Socialhood News · Washington Park ·
Halloween fell on a Saturday this year, and Washington Park is making the most of it. The 7th Annual Upside Down Halloween Parade takes over Russell Drive today, October 31, from noon to 2 p.m. — and if you have never been, the name alone tells you everything you need to know about what makes this one different from every other Halloween parade in Chicago.
The format is the whole point. In a typical parade, you stand on the curb and watch. The Upside Down Parade flips that completely: the crowd does the walking, and the performers line the route. As families and kids in costume march along Russell Drive near the Washington Park Refectory at 5531 S. Martin Luther King Dr., they are the ones being entertained — by DJs, dancers, jugglers, and other performers stationed along the way. Goodies are handed out as you go, and everyone who finishes the route receives a bag of surprises at the end, while supplies last. No registration is required, no tickets needed, and there is no admission charge. It is free and open to all ages.
The event is presented by LUMA8 and the City of Chicago's My CHI My Future initiative — the citywide platform that connects young people on the South and West Sides to programming, resources, and opportunities. That partnership gives the Upside Down Parade a clear civic purpose beyond the fun: it is designed as a welcoming, fully free, community-rooted Halloween destination for families who live in and around Washington Park, in a neighborhood that has historically had fewer of the commercial Halloween attractions concentrated on Chicago's North Side.
Reaching a seventh consecutive year is a milestone worth noting. Annual events in public parks live and die by community turnout and organizational consistency, and the Upside Down Parade has earned both. It has become a reliable fixture on the South Side Halloween calendar precisely because the format is genuinely distinctive — not a scaled-down version of something that exists elsewhere, but an event that Washington Park can call its own. Chicago Fall Fest 2026, the citywide programming initiative running from October 16 through November 2 under Mayor Brandon Johnson, specifically highlights today's parade as one of the season's signature events.
For Washington Park, the timing of today's parade lands in the middle of a season that has kept the park unusually active. Fall Porch Hours programming has run through October, bringing live music, trivia nights, and community markets to the park on a near-daily basis. The Upside Down Halloween Parade is the exclamation point on that run — a high-visibility, all-ages event on one of the year's most festive days, staged in one of Chicago's great green spaces.
If you are coming today, Russell Drive in Washington Park runs through the interior of the park. The closest CTA access is the Green Line Garfield station at 220 E. Garfield Blvd., a short walk north. Street parking is available along Martin Luther King Drive and surrounding blocks. The parade runs noon to 2 p.m., costumes are encouraged, and the surprise bags go fast — arriving closer to noon gives you the best chance of getting one. For neighbors who want to stay connected to what is happening in Washington Park beyond today, visit washingtonpark.org for advisory council meeting schedules and community updates. The Washington Park Advisory Council meets every third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m.
Sources:
1. https://chicagoroute.com/events/upside-down-halloween-parade-washington-park-2026/
2. https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press_releases/2026/october/fall-fest-2026.html
3. https://www.chicagoparent.com/guides/spooktacular-halloween-happenings-for-kids-in-chicagoland-be1a1697
4. https://chicagospecials.com/events/2026-10-31
5. https://chicagofallfest.org/